10 Fun and Fascinating Facts About Food!

10 Fun and Fascinating Facts About Food!

Food is definitely something the whole world is interested in, and there are a wealth of quirky, controversial, but always curious facts surrounding it! We waded into this information soup, and here’s a smattering of some of the more interesting stuff we found — the cream of the crop!

The Independent recently reported that Nestlé had made £6.5 billion last year. Did you know they also make pet food? We had no idea! True, they’ve had their share of controversies in the past – such as the Cocoa Protocol in 2001 to stop using child labour to produce cocoa, amongst others. Yet they remain the biggest food and drinks producer in the world. Though all we seem to think about when we hear ‘Nestlé’ is chocolate…

He’s just raring to go! In 2010, according to a survey conducted by the SymphonyIRI Group, more people bought dog food than cat food – around $2.5 billion more! We wonder if it’s because more people have dogs, or because dogs eat more?

Aldi is one of the most popular discount supermarket chains in Germany. Ask any local student and they will burst into an enthusiastic tirade involving comparisons with other stores. And you don’t have to go far for a bargain: Aldi has over 7,000 stores in 17 different countries!

Here’s an interesting fact: ever wondered which city in the world had the most expensive hotel meals? That would be Tokyo for dinner, Sydney for lunch and Madrid for breakfast! Don’t say we never give you help budgeting for your international eating plans…

In 2007 poultry meat production was higher in developing countries than in industrial ones – 49 million tons, compared to 13 million ten years before, accounting for about 60% of worldwide production. The methods behind this kind of production provoke many questions, and are often quite controversial.

Ah, the quintessential snack of milk and cookies – or how about milk and cereal, or a nice hot latte? Yup, milk is everywhere. Total milk production in the United States alone equalled 196 billion pounds in 2011. According to a forecast by FAPRI, milk production per cow in the U.S. this year is expected to be around 10 tons. That’s a lot of moo juice!

Regulatory problems and management issues were the main challenges in organic food production in the United States last year. You’d think it was actually making sure organic food was produced, but the human factor (and it seems, red tape) seems to sneak in everywhere!

According to Waterfootprint.org, the production of about two pounds of cheese requires 5,000 liters of water, for sugar 1,500 liters and for an apple 701 liters. We don’t really get the last one! Does that mean watering the tree with 701 liters until an apple grows on it?

More than one million metric tons of raisins were produced worldwide during 2010/2011. And that’s when they’re dried! Just imagine the weight they must be when they’re fresh grapes. Hmm… Maybe they could use all that water they lose to produce apples! Problem solved!

And speaking of water, what better way to conclude than with a drink? According to a recent survey by Technomic Inc., 81 percent of men were likely to order beer during happy hour at a bar or restaurant, while women favoured a cocktail or a mixed drink. Germany is in the top three European countries in beer production, producing more than 95 million litres in 2010. That makes sense in the country known for the Oktoberfest. In this vein: prost!